John Richards

Gabriel said of this song's message: "The basic idea is that handling failure is one of the hardest things we have to learn to do."

Hi, my name is Jessie. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January of this year at the age of 37. My husband and I had just had our second baby 17 months prior and we felt on top of the world when my diagnosis rocked us and brought us back down to Earth. Thankfully, I caught the cancer early, I have an amazing team of doctors at SCCA/Evergreen Hospital, and treatment, while no cake walk, has been tolerable and successful. As a result I have an excellent prognosis. I am sharing my story today because I want to take the opportunity to thank my friends and our community, who have come through for me in ways I never asked for or expected. Our family has been humbled by the generosity and kindness of our village. Most importantly I want to truly thank my partner and husband Alex. Being the primary caretaker of someone you love with cancer is extremely difficult and he has taken on this role with patience and fortitude. I am eternally grateful for him, as well as our darling children Ellie and Truman. Early along in my cancer journey, when it was easy to get lost in anxiety, fear and doubt, Alex shared a song and lyrics with me and it has since become our anthem as we fight this together. It is with so much love, gratitude, and admiration that I would like to dedicate the song "The Lightning I & II" by Arcade Fire, to Alex. This incredible song will forever remind me of this journey, our love for one another, and how we learned to grow and change together when the lightning struck in our lives. Thank you for this opportunity. Jessie Kenmore, WA ============== Thank you Jessie. Music heals!

I'm writing to you as an employee of SCCA. Sometimes the healers need a little healing too! It's been such a tough past 2 years, and the heroism of my colleagues helps get me through. Can you play David Bowie’s “Heroes” on Thursday, and dedicate it to all of the SCCA staff? Thanks! Ray ============= Thank you Ray and everyone at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for all the hard work!

Hi John: I hope that this note finds you well. Thank you and KEXP for again putting on a music heals cancer show. As a cancer survivor I love this show. This spring marked my 5 year anniversary of being cancer free. There is not a day that passes where I am not reminded of the preciousness and fragility of life - in so many capacities (cancer, only one of them). As my body continues to heal and I face the longer term impacts of the harsh treatment that saved my life, I’m left with gratitude. I am hoping you can, again this year ;) fit in “Always Love” (Nada Surf)- I listened to that song over and over more times than I can count when I was really sick. Every time I hear it, still it fills me with energy and hope to choose love. I know that energy continues to help me heal a difficult time. Thank you. I appreciate you and hope you are your family are well. (How are our older kids so OLD?) Much love. Kim =========================== Thank you Kim!

My mom died pretty suddenly of lung cancer early in 2019. Cancer and chemo were f*ing beasts that ate her alive. That year I lost my way, food, books, music, nothing felt right. The song that I kept coming back to was Song for Zula by Phospohrence. It's a song about loss and being broken but for me, there is this undercurrent of hope in the music, that yes there has been loss, and the current state is hard, but still there is possibility. Where there is love, there is possibility. Cancer can't take that from us and music will always bring it back. Thank you for this community that indeed heals through music. Jennifer ------------------------- Thank you Jennifer. The KEXP community is one of the things that makes KEXP so special. You are not alone.

Thank you for putting on this show. I'm now 40, but last year in March, at 39, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, which is apparently still young. My grandmother and aunt were both diagnosed, but they were in their late 70s, so my diagnosis was a surprise to my doctors. After genetic testing it turns out there was no quantifiable reason, it just was what it was. Regardless, it was devastating. One day after all the testing (there are so many tests (!!), I got home, exhausted. I didn't want to watch anything, so I started streaming KEXP. It was April 29, 2021 (Morning Show), and "Empire State of Mind", then "With a Little Help From My Friends", then "I Won't Back Down", played, and I just burst into tears, because I just felt...better. It was what I needed to hear. I know it seems strange to know the date. I scoured your playlist because last year, that moment when those songs played stuck so hard it is ingrained in my memory. It gave me hope at a time when I wasn't sure what was going to happen next. Cancer truly sucks, but those songs helped me through the toughest parts, which (for me) is the unknown. There are still tough days ahead, but music helped me remember how strong I could be. Those three songs made such a huge difference to my mental health. Music truly makes a difference, and so does KEXP. Thank you for continuing to help. Sarah ------------------------- You are not alone Sarah!

Throughout the day, KEXP is telling the stories shared with us by members of our community and playing the songs that helped them through the healing process. For a list of resource visit www.kexp.org Music heals!

"I Won't Back Down" was Tom Petty's way of reclaiming his life and getting past the torment after an arsonist burnt down his house - he said that writing and recording the song had a calming effect on him. Music heals!

I'm writing with a request for a Wilco song, any of John's favorites to honor two amazing humans and their grieving families. My husband lost his father, Prisco Olaya, 9 days after our daughter was born in 2018. Prisco held on to meet her, his first grandchild, after a long battle with Parkinsons topped off with a vicious dose of lung cancer right at the end. Because of the timing (I was in bad shape after giving birth), my husband never fully got to grieve. He traveled home to Chicago for a whirlwind 36 hours mentally pulled between a physically and emotionally incapacitated wife, a newborn, and a grieving family. Today (Thursday the 21st), he is back to Chicago to be with his best friends from home to grieve the sudden loss of one of their fathers, Terry Peckny. You'll note from the obituary, Mr. Peckny's interests and passions included Wilco. To honor both of these tremendous lives and the families struggling to understand their loss, please could you play a Wilco song to honor this day. Thank you for this and everything you do to help us all heal. Kindest regards, Johanna ------------------------------------ Thank you Johanna. Love is everywhere... you are not alone!

Hello John, Thank you to the KEXP staff for having this day to heal through music on the topic of Cancer. Cancer hit our family this past March with my sister's diagnosis of glioblastoma cancer. The news was overwhelming. We live in Texas and our sister lives in Colorado. The idea that kept coming to our minds is what can we do to help her. from miles away. Our sister had two back-to-back go-arounds to the hospital for treatment. One was after talking to her on her birthday. She had a tumor removed along the side of her brain. My thought at the time was this is over. She is cured. As I received the stats on her survival rate, I felt hopeless and scared about what was to come. I am the type of person who feels better when I can help someone through hard times. Unfortunately, there was nothing we could do to prevent my sister from having the disease. My sister has gone through months of extensive radiation and chemotherapy. We are glad to say after 4 months, the cancer has not come back. We visited here last month. She has a will to live that shows in her eyes and is displayed through her character. This week she goes through another week of chemo. We will be listening today towards connecting with others going through this battle to have a moment of hope. I ask that we all reserve the time we spent together with our loved ones. We do not know what can come. We can only be present today. Please play "Free" by Sault. Let's be free to experience each moment of life as time comes and goes. -Michael & Amy in Austin =============== You're right, we don't know what can come. But you and your sister are not alone.

Hi John, I’m writing for my husband, also John 😊 He passed away @ just 51 in April 2020 after a fierce 18 month battle with stage 4 colon cancer. The timing with the Covid lockdown made the awful situation even worse because our kids (high school age) and his family and friends couldn’t be by his side at the end… only me. Here’s a song request from his best friend that we played for John’s celebration of life that made us all think of our dancing days in Austin!! Praise You Fatboy Slim Thanks, Stacy ============== Thank you Stacy. Here's to remembering your dancing days, and to more dancing days ahead! Music heals and you are not alone!

Sitting on the couch next to my sister, an observer would not know which one of us had cancer. We were in rough shape. Both malnourished and sleep deprived, trying to stop this tailspin and find the horizon again. My ex-wife had left me a week earlier, two days after we learned that my sister had been diagnosed colon cancer that metastasized to her liver. Stage four. We leaned on each other like no bother and sister should ever have to. She listened to me through my darkest hours helping me navigate a heartbreaking divorce. The reality that I would get better, and she would not, was cruel beyond words. Yet she lived her life with a grace and dignity that I will forever remember. As my divorce came to end 10 months later, she was fighting for her life. And she fought till the end. For her two beautiful children. For her extraordinary husband. She left me with many gifts. To remember to enjoy the moment. To pay attention to the ordinary. To take this day as it comes, and to recognize joy in its simplest forms. That time is short. For me, the grief of my marriage ending and losing my sister to cancer is intertwined. Inseparable. So, it wasn’t surprising that I was thinking of her life on my way to finalize my divorce. I had First Aid Kit playing loud with tears running down my face. Could I please request ‘Angel’ in my sister Jenny’s honor? The song that reminds us of how to live our best life by loving those around us no matter what. A perfect song for my sister’s legacy. Thank you. Bryan Bellingham, Wa ============== Thank you Bryan for sharing your and Jenny's story. "Reminds us of how to live our best life by loving those around us no matter what" You are not alone

As with so many notable moments in my life, it started with with hearing a new song by a then up and coming artist on KEXP. Little did I know that "Rabbit heart" by Florence and the machine would be the perfect anthem for my daily commute for 35 rounds of radiation for breast cancer. The lyrics gave me strength to become a "lion hearted girl, ready for a fight"! 12 years later, I am thriving and I still appreciate all the love and support through my journey. I was never alone!! Sherry ============= Thank you Sherry. You are not alone!

Thanks for doing this show John & KEXP. I was diagnosed with cancer as a baby and luckily had a great team at Seattle Children's that cured it. I'm now in my 40s and working for the Children's so its kind of come full circle. Hearing these other stories I feel like I have imposter syndrome because I was too young to remember the treatment but still feel like I'm part of this community that touches so many people's lives. Thanks again for doing this and I guess a song suggestion would be You're Not Alone Anymore by The Traveling Wilburys but whatever you play today is gonna be great. Thanks KEXP, you rock! Patrick ================= Thank you Patrick. You are a part of the community, you are not alone!

Hello, I would like to request the following song and message be played for the Music Heals: Beyond Cancer event. If possible, it would be great if it could be played during the morning show with John Richards. Our family is from Spokane so it would be extra special :) Song: Sweet Thing by Van Morrison This song is for our father, Mark, from your children Drew, Meg, and Beth. Dad, you instilled a love for music in us at an early age.. Music has always been a way for our family to find connection, and we hope that music continues to keep us connected as you heal and recover. We want you to know we love you and will always be there for you. Enjoy the music and we can't wait to see you in Sandpoint soon! ============== Thank you Beth & Beth's family! Music heals!

Thank you for inviting these stories. I have cried over the tributes and songs shared in years past and I am heartbroken to add my own to the mix. I lost my dad to lung cancer on May 1, 2020. It was a quick and brutal illness with unbelievably cruel timing. A few days after his diagnosis, I gave birth to his first grandchild. Six weeks later, he was dead. Covid precautions had kept us apart, but he finally met my daughter a few hours before he died. He had suffered a stroke, so he couldn’t speak to her or hold her, but he squeezed my hand when I asked him if she looked like me. My dad introduced me to KEXP back when it was KCMU. We listened to John in the Morning every day when he drove me to high school, and now I listen to John en route to daycare. He LOVED music and he loved sharing it with me. the first show we went to together was Beck at Bumbershoot when I was 13. The last shows we went to together were the Replacements, the Blasters and X. I thought long and hard about what song to request and ultimately decided on Cannonball by the Breeders. For years my dad and I would text each other when it was on the radio and I honestly can’t remember why or when it started. But if you could play it for us one more time I would appreciate it so much. for Brian, from Mia. ====================== You are not alone Mia

Hello wonderful KEXP - Thanks so much for doing a Music Heals for cancer. My request is "No. 13 Baby" by The Pixies. In 2021, I was supposed to start over after a difficult divorce. I was going to move from Cleveland, Ohio to the breathtaking town of Seward, Alaska. I had a new job, a new home and was all set to make the move and was taking care of my preventive medical before I left. Not only did I learn that I had breast cancer but thyroid cancer as well. So instead of moving to Alaska and starting over, I spent last summer having surgeries and receiving silly amounts of radiation. A different kind of starting over, and fortunately my synchronous cancers are both in remission and I feel better than I have in years. Guess I didn't know I was sick, but looking back it makes sense. When I first learned of the breast cancer, "No. 13. Baby" was stuck in my head and on the first Friday the 13th after my surgery I got my No. 13 tattoo as a reminder of everything that happened. Thanks for reading! And ladies - get those annual mammograms, and for anyone with wonky thyroid lab results - get an ultrasound! Advocate for you!!! ~ Jenn from Lakewood, OH and proud Amplifier with a tattooed tit that says No. 13. --------------------------- Thank you Jenn for your story and the reminder to get check-ups!

Thank you for this meaningful day of music. Cancer has brutally taken some of the most important people in my life, during times I felt were absolutely impossible to make it through without them much less when they were actually dying. As an adult I've learned about the experience of death and what it's like for those around the dying. It is beyond words for me. I will forever think of those that I lost and my heart swells with love and breaks in sadness at the same time. To my father, my mother in law and my true friend Lynnae. I love you all and I wish you were with me to see life. Can you please play Archers of Loaf, Web Up Front. Taking me back to when we were all alive and well. Grace Walker ======================= Thank you. You are not alone Grace!

‘Music Heals: Beyond Cancer’, a day dedicated to the power of music to lift our spirits and heal our souls in the face of cancer. Throughout the day, KEXP is telling the stories shared with us by members of our community and playing the songs that helped them through the healing process. This one definitely lifts our spirits!

On March 20th, 2020, radio stations across Europe, including the BBC, joined forces to simultaneously play "You'll Never Walk Alone" in a show of solidarity against coronavirus. There is community in music. You are not alone

I lost my dad to cancer 13 years ago. It was a short and intense battle, he died only a year after diagnosis. The very first time I flew home to see him after his diagnosis, from San Francisco to Boston, I was walking through the international terminal to catch my flight and Do You Realize?? by The Flaming Lips came on my iPod -- it must have been an iPod in 2008, right? -- and I just started sobbing. But man what a beautiful song, and a potent reminder that life goes fast; it's hard to make the good things last. Damn near impossible, I'd say. Ever since, every single time I arrive at an airport for a flight, I play this song. Now that I'm married I travel with my wife a lot, so we literally just play it from my phone so we can both hear it. It always makes me think of my dad, reminds me of how fleeting life is, and it makes me smile. It's hard to make the good things last, but how good were those good things? Pretty damn good, I would say. Would love it if you could play this song for my dad, Big Tom. -- Justin in Sebastopol, CA P.S. Thanks for all y'all do each and every day, love being part of this community! ============== It's hard to make the good things last. Thank you Justin! There is community and healing in music!

This if for my Mom. Jocelyne “Joyce” Marie Della Jaremowich (née Lauzé) Saturday, October 30, 1948 - Saturday, February 19, 2022 I spoke with her the day before. She was lucid until her very last rest. Very early on the morning of 19 Feb 22, after receiving a call over facetime from family, I said my final goodbye's, only moments after she took her last breaths. She passed with grace and dignity, slipping away with a nap in her home, lovingly cared for by her husband (my Dad) and my sister by her side. She lived out her days on her own terms. She lived 5 years to the day, following an acute pancreatic attack in 2017, and diagnosis of terminal stage 4 metastatic NETs - (N)euro (E)ndocrine (T)umor cancer. Most of those 5 years behaving like the Energizer Bunny, flat-out ignoring her discomfort and fatigue, working her a** off cooking up a storm for the small army that is my immediate and extended family and sewing over 120 cozy 6'x4' fleece blankets as keep-sake forget-me-nots for each individual and their off-spring of that aforementioned small army. She loved each of us, so much. We will all miss her so much, but will remember her forever. Although she died on a Saturday, we still got an email from her 2 days after her death... not the 2nd resurrection, but a planned carefully and caringly written email from her to literally everyone she kept in touch with including all of her immediate family!!! I laughed my a** off. Love you, Mom 🖤❤ Play some Dolly Parton, ABBA, or Melanie - Brand New Key. Thanks for all you do. #youarenotalone 🙏❤️ Dave in Bothell ============== Thank you Dave. You are not alone!

Hey, John… Coincidental b/c today is my wife’s last immunotherapy treatment for Stage 2 breast cancer. After a diagnosis in Feb 2021, six rounds of chemo, four surgeries, endless tests, scans, 17 rounds (a year) of immunotherapy, the treatment part of her cancer journey ends for her today (in about an hour, actually). I say the “treatment part” b/c the effects will linger around her and me and our family and they always will. She will be cancer-free, but we’ll never be free of cancer. And that’s ok. We’ve fought to accept that reality. But it comes at a price. And it’s extremely difficult. And it’s scary. And it’s tragic. And it’s traumatic. And while a cancer diagnosis is all those things, it’s also the people (no matter how unknown or random) that don’t let those things win. It also becomes the songs heard that help you stand up after you’ve buckled on the floor crying. It’s the community of people that send love and support during and after battles like these. It’s understanding that my wife is extremely lucky and grateful to have found the mass in her breast when she did. It’s the care team that we are so very grateful for. It’s streaming KEXP each day and hearing you, John, say the words that are so important during struggles with things like cancer…You are not alone. It’s so many things beyond the darkness, trauma, fear, terror and difficulty. It wasn’t easy but we had to find joy, hope, help, support, light, optimism, compassion in the right people and things in the world. Send one of these songs out to my wife, Lauren, if you can. You pick. Whatever works with the set. “Running with the Hurricane” – Camp Cope “Red Eyes” – The War on Drugs “Boys You Won’t” – The Wrens Thank you! REMINDER: Please, (ladies, specifically) do your monthly self-checks and schedule mammograms!!!! Please. You’re worth it. Brad in Edgewood, KY ============= "It’s the community of people that send love and support during and after battles like these." Yes it is Brad. Thank you and you are not alone.

Thank for this show, all the emotions of grief is all coming back to me that I needed to feel at the moment. My mom Andrea was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It was a long painful battle until she passed in March of this year. I think of her everyday and surreal that she's gone. If you look in the dictionary resilience and love, my mom's picture would be next to it. She was an amazing woman who shined a light on everyone and was a stable point. Much like this station, you've brought a lot of love and support for me in the most unexpected way. On the day my mom passed, I was listening to KEXP on my way home after saying my final goodbye. Gloria by Patti Smith was playing and I was singing on the top of my lungs volume high. It was a huge release that I needed. Can you please play Gloria. I would appreciate it. Jen from Tacoma =============== You are not alone Jen!

Last year my wonderful and super supportive fiance Heather got news that her mother Lucia's cancer had returned. Over the past few months, she went through treatments to fight it when her doctors discovered a new unrelated growth that was growing quickly and was somehow immune to the treatments. After many tests, it was determined that she would need a tough and invasive surgery to remove it. Surgery day was last Friday and naturally leading up to it, we were all fearful of the outcome. What if it wasn't successful? You know, all those thoughts. Happy to report that the surgery was successful and Lucia is now home recovering. As with most major surgeries, recovery is rough, but it's just a process that you need to face one step at a time. John, would you play Stevie Wonder's "You Are The Sunshine of My Life" for Lucia? That song was Lucia and John's (Heather's dad) wedding song and hearing it would be a great way we can remind her that we love her, we are thinking about her, how important she is to all of us and that she is not alone. Thank you to you, John, Producer Owen, and all the KEXP staff for all the joy you bring us day in and out and for bringing this community together. - Matt and Heather in Brooklyn. ============== Thank you Matt & Heather

My dad passed away from cancer when I was 26. I got the phone call that I needed to come to Alaska because he didn’t have much longer. He died shortly after I arrived in our family home that he built. Everyone said he was waiting for me to arrive so he could go. We didn’t always have the best relationship but it always felt like music is what brought us together. Some of my favorite memories of him are traveling to go to concerts. He loved music. He loved to dance. He was nicknamed Dennis the dance man by his favorite blues club and they even carved it into the dance floor when he passed. One of his favorite songs was sitting on the dock of the bay by Otis Redding. I can still see him doing his signature dance moves that always embarrassed me that now make me smile because it was just so him. I still tear up to this day hearing it but it always reminds me to smile, laugh, dance, enjoy life. I will forever think of my dad fondly when I hear that song. Bridget ============== Thank you Bridget. You are not alone!

John, I can’t reiterate enough times my thanks to all KEXP staff and listener/supporters, especially you and Owen, for the extremely touching response when my wife Heather was diagnosed with cancer and had to go in to her first chemo session, alone, due to COVID protocols. When someone you love is going through cancer you do what you need to do to support them, and sometimes you forget to take care of yourself. I took a lifeguarding class in highschool and what stuck with me the most from that is you can’t save someone from drowning while you yourself are drowning. Of course your loved one is going through something bigger than you can imagine, but your struggles are still legitimate and real. Reach out to your friends and your community and get the support you need. Your job is hard too. Can you please play This Year by the Mountain Goats. That song was what was already helping get me through the COVID lockdown and then pulled double-duty for me when Heather for her diagnosis. (It’s also a great song to run to). You are not alone, Greg ============== Take care of yourself so you can take care of others - great message Greg!

Hi John, Today I’m celebrating all the incredible memories that my Mom, Marcie, curated for my brother and I growing up. Marcie fought a long battle with breast cancer for over 10 years, and throughout treatments, surgeries, good and bad news days, she continued to plan trips for our family, organize birthday parties and after-work happy hours, and camping with her grandkids. I will never forget her “surprise packing” our suitcases as young kids, and when arriving to SeaTac to supposedly pick ip a friend, we opened the bags to find our own clothes! We were headed to San Francisco for a long weekend of Swedish Pancakes and sight-seeing. My Mom passed away 6 weeks after my daughter was born in 2019. She continues to surround us with her spark and joy for life — and as we say in our family, “When all that’s left of me is love, give me away.” Please play Dolly Parton 9-5 in her memory — as she would shoulder shimmy to the song every morning as she drove us to elementary school in the burgundy mini-van. Love you Mom! I Chelsea -------------------- Loving the image of the 9-5 shoulder shimmy in the burgundy mini-van! Thank you Chelsea! You are not alone.

Hi John, Thanks for opening the waterworks once again as I was listening this morning. The story about the Muppets singing at Danny’s funeral was particularly moving. It reminded me of my late husband who died from pancreatic cancer in 2008 at age 55. Ironically he was a childhood cancer survivor due to the efforts of Dr C. Everett Koop performing a radical surgery on him at age 2. He was a person who could find humor in any situation, make everyone laugh til they peed and in addition had a heart of gold. Needless to say I think of him everyday( as he jokingly said I would). I see the best parts of him in our daughter Dara who lives in Ballard. I appreciate you and your program. There is nothing comparable on the airwaves and your shows touch me every time. I am a grateful supporter and want you to know how far your music and message extends. He was a big fan of Kate Bush so anything by her would be a great way to honor him. With much appreciation and thanks, Rochelle Bluestein Los Altos, CA ========== Thank you Rochelle

Good Morning DJ John and KEXP Crew ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Thank you so much for your beautiful love filled show today. My dad died from cancer in 2013; while that was a really hard time emotionally, I also recall how much listening to KEXP helped me stay connected to myself and the world. Knowing that others also turn towards KEXP for solace, comfort, and expression of all of life’s joys and sadnesses makes me happy to be part of the KEXP community. Music matters, in so many ways. “Where would I be without you?” became a reality when my dad died, not just a question. I remember him with so much love all the time. Could you please play “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys for my very loved and loving dad, Don? His nickname was the Love Bandit. Thank you so kindly, magicbunny ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤ Karen ===================== Thank you Karen. Music heals!

I’m in tears in my kitchen in the Bay Area listening to this show. I’m glad my wife Lauren is upstairs on a work call because I think this would be too much for her…we’re facing a hard road with her mom Darlene’s cancer recurrence, and I’m not sure what’s ahead. One thing keeping my wife going is listening to Beyonce's “Break My Soul” on repeat while going on long runs…can you please play that one for us all?! Thank you!!!!-- * * * * * * * * * * Kate ============== Thank you Kate. You and your wife are not alone.

Hi John and Cheryl, She loved y’all so much. It has been nine years and I think about her ALL the time. I am frequently reminded of the ways she changed me and the way I live my life—By being the magical person she was and the way she eeked out all the joy in the world up till the very end. Will you play Home by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros? She loved it. Much gratitude for always being there. KEXP, KCMU 4-ever! Amy Friend of Aubrey Bean